Automatic floor indicator for passenger elevators



March 23 1926.

J. F. JONES AUTOMATIC FLOOR INDICATOR FOR PASSENGER ELEVATOR S FiledFeb. 20,

Patented Mar. 23, 1926.

UNITED STATES JOHN F. JONES, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

AUTOMATIC FLOOR INDICATOR FOR PASSENGER ELEVATORS.

Application filed February 20, 1924.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN F. JONES, a citizen of the United States,residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic FloorIndicators for Passenger Elevators; and I do declare the foliowing to bea full, clear, and exact description o1 the invention, such as willenable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and usethe same.

My invention aims to provide a simple, yet an eitective device adaptedto be carried by the car or cage of a passenger elevator, in full viewof the passengers, so that by simply looking at the device, the floorposition of the elevator can be seen, thus etlectively overcoming agreat deal of con fusion and inconvenience which ordinarily results,particularly in the elevators of rather tall buildings.

1th the foregoing in view, the invention resides in the novel subjectmatter hereinafter described and claimed, the description beingsupplemented by the accompanying drawing.

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional View through a portion of an elevatorshaft, and a number of its doors, showing the elevator car in elevation,equipped with the indicating means.

Figure 2 is a sectional view as indicated by line 2-2 of Fig. 1,diagrammatically illustrating the electrical means for illuminating thefloor indicator.

Figure 3 is an enlarged vertical sectional view as indicated by line 33of Fig. 1, showing the floor indicator in elevation.

Figures 4: and 5 are transverse sectional views as indicated by lines 4-1 and 55 of Fig. 3.

Figure 6 is a longitudinal, substantially vertical section through theindicator, as indicated by line 6-6 of Fig. 4.

Figure 7 is a horizontal sectional view on line 7-7 of Fig. 6.

Figures 8 and 9 are elevations partly in section, showing the manner inwhich the elevator doors control circuit-closing switches for theilluminating light of the floor indicator.

In the drawnig above briefly described, I have illustrated a passengerelevator car C within a shaft S which is provided with the usual doors Dat the several floors F.

Serial No. 6%,081.

Mounted within the cage or car C, at a point preferably over thedoor-thereof, I have shown a casing 1 having a view opening 2, and ifdesired, this casing may set atan angle as shown in Figs. 2 to 5, inorder that the floor numbers which are successively displayed at theopening 2, may be more readily visible to persons standing near thedoor. In the ends of the casing l, I have shown rollers 3 and l aroundwhich a belt 5 is trained, said belt having floor numbers as indicatedin Fig. 3, to be successively displayed at the view opening 2.

Any suitable provision may be made for driving the belt 5 in synchronismwith the movement oi the car 0. In the present disclosure, arelativelyl: rge bevel gear 6 is so cured upon the shaft of the roller 4 andmeshes with a small bevel pinion 7, this pinion being secured to theinner end of a horizontal shaft 8 which passes to the exterior of thecar C and is provided with a rather large wheel 9 which is by preferenceformed with a peripheral groove. A cable 10 is passed one or more timesaround the wheel 9, as indicated at 11, and the ends of this cable areadapted to be anchored at the ends of the shaft S as indicated at 10 inFig. 1. Thus, as the car 0 travels upwardly and downwardly, the roller 4will be driven to properly move the belt 5 in timed relation with thecar travel, so as to properly present the floor numbers at the opening2.

IVithin the casing 1, behind the belt 5 and the View opening 2, I haveillustrated an electric light 12 for illuminating the number at theopening 2 whenever the door D at any floor is opened. For purposes ofbetter representation, this light is shown in Fig. 2, below the casing 1and this figure diagrammatically illustrates one system of wiring whichmay be used in connection with switches at the several floors,controlled by the doors D. In the construction shown, each switchincludes a casing 13 mounted in the elevator shaft at the upper end of adoor D, said casing containing a stationary contact 1a with which amovable switch member 15 co-acts, said switch member having a spring 16for closing it, but being also provided with a control member 17extending to the exterior oi the casing 13 in position to be struck bythe door D, or one section of the latter, if it be of the verticallydivided type. As long as the door D is closed, it holds the controlmember 17 in position to retain the switch 15 in its open position asshown in Figs. 2 and 8, but as soon as the door starts open, the spring16 moves said switch member to closed position asillustrated in Fig. 9,thus automatically illuminatingthc light 12 and attracting the at-'tention of the passengers to the number of vided for carrying out theobjects of the invention, but I Wish it understood that the presentdisclosure is principally for illustrative purposes and that Within thescope of the invention as claimed, it may be embodied in numerous otherforms.

I claim:

A floor indicator comprising a casing having a view opening and adaptedto be carried by an elevator car, a belt in said casing having floornumbers adapted to be successively presented at said view opening,rollers in said casing mounting said belt, a shaft connected operativelywith at least one of saidrollers, a Wheel on said shaft at the exteriorof the casing, and a cable adapted to be passed around said Wheel, saidcable being of a length to extend substantially throughout the length ofan elevator shaft and the ends of said cable being adapted for anchorageat the ends of the shaft.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto afiixed my signature.

JOHN F. JONES.

